Brothers in Arms
by Lt. Basil
Summary: The galaxy's last hope and the most powerful Jedi in existence. They were an unlikely team. But Luke needed a teacher... and frankly, Galen was all there was... Much to his chagrin... Rated for violence, mild swearing, and potential alcohol use. Galen/Juno and PLATONIC Galen/Luke (aka no yaoi). AU, takes place between ANH and TESB. *Complete rewrite of "Hope and Power".
1. Evacuation

**A/N v.2/14/17: Hello probably nonexistent viewers! I'm finally back! **

**So I recently played TFU again and finally FINALLY got some inspiration for continuing this story, but first I went through and made a few changes to what I already had. And decided that I couldn't do anything with that prologue so I deleted it. If you want me to I can post it as a separate one-shot but otherwise it's just getting erased completely. So… anyway… **_**Brothers in Arms**_** take 2. **

**Enjoy!**

_Chapter 1: Evacuation_

"_Attention: security breach. All units to assigned stations. Attention: security breach. All units to assigned stations."_

Yavin was in chaos – that much was obvious. Captain Luke Skywalker was running as fast as he could, darting through corridors and ducking falling patches of ceiling the whole way. Behind him, his men were running too, all too aware of the urgency of the situation at hand. It was a mad race to their post – the south entrance, one of the weakest points in the base. If it fell… well, they didn't want to think about that.

Above Luke's head, the shockwave of an explosion sent a power line loose. Sparks and smoke erupted from it in a superheated spray, forcing the rebels to split and duck down low to avoid getting burned or electrocuted. Hugging the wall, Luke made a quick check on himself to make sure that he had a firm grip on his blaster and his lightsaber was clipped securely into his belt. In a situation like this, losing either was a recipe for disaster.

Activating his comm, Luke asked, "Han, are you there?!"

Han's voice sounded clearly from the speaker. "Hear you loud and clear, kid."

"Is the Falcon secure?"

"Yep. Ready for you whenever you decide to stop playing around and get over here."

Luke ignored the jibe. "And the princess?"

The young officer could practically _hear _the pilot shrug. "Beats me. Probably off busting open another garbage masher, if I have to venture a guess."

"This is _serious, _Han!" Luke snapped.

The pilot's voice was placating as he answered, "Relax, kid. She can take care of herself – I'm sure she's fine."

Luke's patience was wearing thin. "Do you think you could, oh, I don't know, _find out!?_"

"_You're _the brains, kid!" Han retorted. "_You _figure it out!" The link on the other side clicked off.

"Han!" Luke yelled into the speaker. There was no response.

"_Attention: security breach. All units to assigned stations."_

"We've got to get going, sir!" one of his soldiers hollered, grabbing his arm in earnest. With one last scowl at his comlink, Luke turned to face his squad.

"Let's move!"

"_Attention: security breach. All units to assigned stations."_

Luke and his men took off once more, stumbling through the quaking corridors like their lives depended on it. Panic was running rampant across every face – they'd all seen what happened to people who were caught in the path of imperial troops. They could be eradicated.

Secretly, the young Skywalker shared their dread, but he didn't let it show. Being an officer, he knew that he had to remain calm at all times. Keeping up morale was one of a Rebel captain's top priorities. There was nothing more disheartening than watching a commanding officer fall apart right in front of your very eyes – and with everything that they all needed to do, Luke couldn't afford to let that happen. He had to keep his composure, for everyone's sake.

Ahead of them, the durasteel wall of the tunnel exploded. The soldiers all skidded to a stop in the wake of the falling debris. Several unlucky ones were caught directly in its path and were brought down by the burning metal. Instinctively, Luke threw his hands out in front of him, halting the material in its tracks before it could hit anyone else. Gritting his teeth, Luke carefully (if not feebly) displaced the debris from their path. But the damage had already been done.

Two of the soldiers were dead, six others badly injured, and all the rest frozen in shock and horror. Seeing the carnage laid out in front of him, Luke mentally cursed himself. Self-loathing bubbled up in the pit of his stomach, threatening to spill out in an agonized scream – it was with great difficulty that he suppressed it.

_Keep it together, Luke…_

He felt someone come up to stand behind him. "…Captain?"

Shaking himself, Luke straightened up and filed his distress away for later. "Get the injured to the transports," he ordered (as calmly as he could, under the circumstances). Bile rose up in his throat. "Leave the other two. Just… bring their I.D. tags," he added. "For the families." _Stay calm…_

Saluting, several rebels moved to carry out the captain's orders. For a few moments, the others stood back, watching their friends get carried off while simultaneously mourning the two who had fallen. Luke bowed his head respectfully, pain weighing heavily in his chest. He said nothing as the injured were carried away; his gaze was focused firmly on the dead.

"_Attention: security breach. All units to assigned stations."_

The spell was broken. Turning back to remaining soldiers, Luke put on a brave face and motioned for them to follow him. "Come on. We have somewhere we need to be."

XXX

"_Something's wrong. The Force is… disturbed, like… there are hundreds of people crying out in pain. It almost feels like… no, that's impossible, right…? Get ready, guys. Something is about to happen. I can feel it…"_

XXX

"Fourth wave, moving in!"

The line of rebels was a thin, pitiful defense. And the stormtroopers knew it. Vader's men were pressing that to their advantage, sending wave after wave of soldiers forward through holes that they'd blown in the tunnel walls. Dozens of rebels fell in their wake, dropping to the metal floor like flies. The stink of smoke and ozone choked the already stale air. Bolts flew freely like superheated missiles of burning death; Luke had to duck low to avoid getting pegged in the head. Keeping his head low, the captain snapped his empty power cell out of his blaster and inserted a fresh one.

"That's my last battery," he muttered darkly. "Let's make it count."

Raising himself up partway, Luke fired off several shots before diving to the side to avoid the imperials' return fire. He barely avoided getting shot through the head by a stray bolt; a shot grazed his shoulder, nearly dislodging his blaster from his grip. Gritting his teeth, Luke responded by firing off a quick shot that brought his attacker down quicker than he could blink.

Before he could take the time to ever register his success, the pipe above his head exploded in a magnificent spray of boiling water.

"Take cover!"

In almost perfect sync, the rebel soldiers stumbled back, covering their heads in a vain effort to protect themselves from the superheated spray. Luke could have cried out when a huge, boiling droplet struck the exposed skin of his left cheek. Far from being cowed, however, he, along with all of his men, continued firing on the stormtroopers. But there was no question that they were fighting a losing battle.

They couldn't keep this up for much longer.

Almost frantic at this point, Luke switched on his communicator and hailed the commander. "This is Captain Skywalker from Corridor C-86! Imperial troops have infiltrated the tunnel – we need reinforcements _now!_"

"Fall back to Hangar Bay 29 and set up a defensive perimeter! We'll send backup as soon as we can. In the meantime, brace yourselves; we may have to evacuate the facility."

"Understood, Commander." Switching off his comm, Luke turned and addressed his troops. "Fall back to Hangar Bay 29! This is a code red!" Instantly, the rebels were running, moving free of the burst pipe and the pursuing stormtroopers. The imperials continued to fire at the rebels' retreating backs – the men taking up the rear swiveled and returned fire, creating a protective barrier on the back flank.

They were maybe halfway to their destination when the announcement sounded; _"Attention: evacuation has been ordered. Report to hangar bays."_

"Sure, _now _he tells us!" one of the rebels spat.

XXX

"_Commander, I'm picking up a distress call from Yavin. It's been compromised."_

"_Fighter pilots, suit up! We need to be ready to receive them. Med teams, stand by."_

"_Yes, sir!"_

XXX

"Han!"

Luke pushed his way through a teeming crowd of terrified rebels, searching desperately for his friend's face among the multitude. The sound from the others was deafening, making it difficult for him to hear himself _think, _let alone detect any sort of response from Han. Frustration was clouding his senses, impeding his search even further.

Just when he was about to give up and make for the fighters, a hand reached out and grasped his shoulder. Whipping around, Luke found himself face-to-face with the very man he had been trying so hard to locate. Han's face was twisted in such a manner that it looked like he was trying to feign indifference but wasn't able to wipe away his concern.

"You okay, kid?" he asked, trying and failing to keep the worry out of his voice.

"Fine. Where's Leia?" Luke strained his neck, sweeping his eyes across the crowd in an effort to locate the princess. _What if something's happened to her?_

Han waved the question off. "Relax, kid, she left on the last transport with the gold squadron. She's about as safe as you can get." He rolled his eyes. "You don't need to go all 'concerned boyfriend' on me, kiddo."

Luke bristled. "Shut up," he muttered sullenly, glaring at the pilot with his mouth twisted into a scowl. Han simply smirked; but it was strained, caving just a bit under the stress of the situation. He seemed surprisingly unfazed by the captain's withering expression, though.

Their silent battle of wills was abruptly cut short at the sound of another announcement blaring on the intercom.

"_All fighters man your ships. Rogue Squadron take-off in T-minus six minutes."_

"That's our cue," Han remarked flatly, turning his gaze to the spot a decent distance away where the _Millennium Falcon _sat perched on its landing pad. Their brief quarrel forgotten, he gave Luke a friendly slap on the back. "See you on the other side, kid."

As Han was walking back towards his ship, Luke hollered after him, "Don't do anything _too _stupid this time, okay?"

"No promises!" Han shot back.

Luke shook his head and turned to his own ship. It was a T-65 X-wing class starfighter, the best type of fighter in the Alliance. Armed to the teeth with four Taim and Bak KX9 laser cannons, two shafts for proton torpedoes and a pair of harpoons, it was a formidable opponent against Imperial-class TIE fighters. Its powerful engines and sleek, wing-like S-foils made it both fast and maneuverable, far dominating the flight capacities of many an Imperial craft. And there was no denying that its shielding system was to _die _for. It was Luke's favorite type of ship.

Which was fortunate, considering that almost all fighter missions like today's were carried out using X-wings.

Luke settled down into the cockpit, already feeling ten times more at home. A wild grin made its way across his face. He was in his natural environment here. No one could top Luke Skywalker when it came to flying. _No one._

"_Fighters, check in."_

Luke glanced at his comm as the voice rang out. He reached out and pressed down on the transmit button* and reported in; "Rogue leader, standing by."

The other fighters all called in, one by one until with a final _"Rogue six, standing by," _all were present and accounted for. Luke's fingers tightened around the controls. He leaned forward eagerly, excitement pulsing through his veins. As dire as the circumstances were, the thought of taking to the air again made it impossible for him to stop grinning.

"_Fighter take-off in T-minus 1 minute."_

Luke revved the engine, satisfaction flooding him at the sensation of the whir of his X-wing's engine beneath his feet. A pleasant humming sound filled the air. The young man found himself humming along with it, half-closing his eyes in pleasure. His fingers itched.

"_Fighter take-off in T-minus 30 seconds… 29… 28…"_

Luke lowered the visor on his helmet and pulled the oxygen mask over his face. "Ready for this, Artoo?" he asked, glancing up at the ceiling, which he knew the little astromech was just above. A few words appeared on the monitor in front of him in confirmation. He nodded distractedly. "Good."

"_Take-off commencing…"_

XXX

That had to have been at least three dozen TIES following on the refugees' tail.

Groaning, Juno Eclipse leaned back in her seat and glared daggers at the Imperial vessels. This was certainly going to complicate things. They couldn't afford Imperial forces to follow them back to their secondary base; if both Yavin and Hoth were compromised in one day, well, that alone could spell out the end of the entire Rebel Alliance.

Galen had warned them that the others might be followed, but Juno hadn't anticipated their enemy's forces to be _this _numerous. Clearly, she had underestimated just how desperate Vader was to blot them off of the face of the map. She'd have to work on that in the future.

"_Juno, behind you!"_

Jek's warning came just in time for the young Captain to swerve wide to the left to avoid the torrent of blaster fire that would have torn her X-wing asunder had she lingered a second too long. Spinning on a dime, the woman circled around and fired her turbolasers at the offending TIE's right wing, blowing a chunk off and sending the small ship flying off in a random direction. Swerving to dodge another set of shots, Juno pulled her ship into a sharp left turn and struck the engine of an oncoming fighter.

"_Nice shot, Green leader!" _Talia, a young Iridonian pilot that she often pulled sentry duty with, complimented over the comm. Juno grinned and glanced at her targeting scope. Her eyes widened.

"Pull up, Green 3!" she yelped. "Bix, get out of –!" She trailed off at the sight of a plume of flame blossoming in midair as her comrade's ship blew itself apart.

"BIX!"

"_Green Squadron, this is Grey leader, please respond." _A new voice crackled over the intercom, cutting Juno's moment of grief short. _"Repeat; this is Grey leader, please respond."_

It was one of the Yavin arrivals, she realized.

Pulling her transmitter closer to her mouth, Juno replied, "This is Green leader, hear you loud and clear Grey leader. Glad to see you made it this far in one piece." It was impossible to keep the relief out of her voice.

"_Likewise, Green leader," _the new voice responded, sounding himself very relieved as well. _"Bank left!"_

Juno did so, watching with satisfaction as the attacking TIE blew past her harmlessly. "Thanks."

"_Any time, ma'am."_

"_This is Rogue leader reporting in. How's it going, X2?" _came another new voice, crackling over the comm in the typical garbled, static-filled manner. Juno frowned. The voice was very young, perhaps that of a boy in his late teens or early twenties. Why was a child being put in charge of a squad?

She had no time to really ponder this as Klein replied, _"We've got at least two squads of Imps, plus a Star Destroyer on the right flank. Your boys ready for a fight, Luke?"_

There was a dangerous amount of enthusiasm in the boy's response; _"Bring it on."_

"What about the transports?" Juno questioned, irritated.

"_Already taken care of, Green leader, don't worry about that," _Luke replied calmly. _"Now let's blast these sleemos!"_

Out of her viewport, Juno could see one of the new arrivals peel off from the others and dive straight into the center of a group of TIE fighters, guns blazing. She would have kept watching the bizarre pilot's antics had she not been the middle of a battle herself. However, another TIE chose that moment to swoop low above her and target her viewscreen; she'd had to bank hard to avoid her X-wing getting blown open. Pulling up hard, she jacked a stream of shots into its underbelly before darting clear of the resulting explosion at top speed.

The chatter of her fellow rebel pilots buzzed loud on the speakers. _"Good one, Green 5!" "Steady, Rogue 2." "Pull up! PULL UP!" "Get your head in the game, Grey 7!" "Behind you!" "WATCH YOUR RIGHT-!"_

Several blasts rammed against the side of Juno's ship, jostling her hands on the controls. She bared her teeth, ice blue eyes narrowing in fierce concentration. Zooming forward, she forced a group of Imps to scatter wide even as she fired wildly into their ranks. Flames erupted from the igniting gases getting expulsed from the destroyed ships. Smoke and debris choked the "air" in front of her. Blinded, Juno turned to her scanners for a visual on the area right in front of her.

"_None of this is gonna mean anything if we can't take out those Star Destroyers!" _a feminine voice hollered.

"_On it, Hera!" _Luke responded. _"Cover me! Wedge, watch my right!"_

"I'll come at it from the other side!" Juno offered immediately, automatically adjusting her course. "I've got a perfect angle on it."

"_Thanks, Green leader," _came the reply.

Juno pushed up on the joystick, bringing her X-wing into a steep upward dive, and banked a hard left, blasting a pair of TIE fighters as she made the pass. She was now directly above the Star Destroyer, close enough to see the individual jolts of electricity darting across the surface of the two deflector shield generators. She bit her lip in concentration, spinning sideways to avoid a shot from one of the battleship's laser cannons. Sweat streamed down her face and into her eyes. She ignored it. Just a little closer…

To her right, Juno saw the Rogue Leader zoom up above the far shield generator and come down on it into a steep dive. He fired a short round of shots, then another. The generator sparked, but held firm. Turning back to her own task, Juno activated the lasers and flew towards her own target. The durasteel dome grew closer and closer… she was almost on top of it now…

The generator came into full view, prompting Juno to fire. The first round merely glanced off the surface, the second making the energy field around act up for a moment before settling into its normal pattern. Biting the inside of her cheek, Juno fired again. And again. And again. On the seventh round, she saw a small plume of flame erupt from the shell of the generator. Three more shots and more flame blossomed across the dome. A shockwave to her right told her that the far generator had just exploded. A moment later, her own followed suit.

"_Rogue leader, Green leader, get clear _now_!" _Wedge shouted, weaving behind her to shoot down a TIE that had snuck up behind.

Juno didn't need to be told twice. Swerving her X-wing in a 180 turn, she gave the engines a little extra jolt and sped away into the stars.

XXX

The Hoth base was in chaos.

Three more transports had just set down in the hangar bay, bringing with them a flood of refugees into the already tightly-packed cavern. Alliance soldiers moved about in droves, each pushing hard against each other to receive their instructions on where to go. The air kept getting louder and louder, becoming so thick with sound that it was impossible to hear your own thoughts, let alone someone else's words. If Galen hadn't known better, he'd have thought that the ceiling was going to come down on their heads.

The young Jedi scanned the crowd earnestly, trying in vain to spot a familiar face. Princess Leia was nowhere in sight, and there weren't any other higher-ups who had decided to show their faces, either. Most of the newcomers he saw were just that – newcomers, lowly soldiers who had probably not in a position to see very well what was happening. Galen needed a report. It was standard procedure, plus it was vital for him to know if Hoth was in any immediate danger.

A hand grasped his arm, cutting his thoughts short. He turned around… and snorted.

_Well, speak of the devil…_

Princess Leia was standing right behind him, her brown hair coming out of its tightly wound braid and falling around her face. She was covered in sweat and soot – and was that blood on her forehead? He shook his head, filing away the information for later. Let the medics take care of the injuries…

"What happened?" he demanded, raising his voice to be heard over the din. The princess dipped her head respectfully.

"We were outnumbered, Commander Marek. Yavin has been completely overrun. We managed to shake off Imperial pursuit though," she added. "We should be safe for the time being." She inhaled sharply and met his gaze evenly. "I'd like to thank you for responding to us so quickly. We would've died without your reinforcements."

Galen waved her off. "It was nothing. Are there any more transports in need of docking?"

Leia shook her head. "No, that was the last of them."

"Good." Galen half-turned away, signifying that the conversation was finished. Leia, however, was not quite ready to let it go. She opened her mouth, about to speak…

…Until the sound of whirring engines filled the air once more as the remaining X-wings entered the hangar. Both of them looked up, watching the fighters come forward and come to rest on the rebel-free patches of ice. Galen straightened up, reaching out with the Force to see if he could find Juno's Force signature. His gaze came to rest on a fighter near the far wall.

There.

Relieved, Galen started forward to go greet her… but then he pulled up short. Some new presence was tickling the back of his mind, something strange and somewhat… familiar. His eyes drifted to the right in search of the source. His eyes settled on another X-wing, closer to the middle of the room. As he watched, the top slid open and a young man – a boy, really – lifted himself up from the cockpit. That tickling feeling was going haywire, ramming against his mind as he watched the boy. The Force thrummed around him with an intensity he'd never seen before.

"Leia," he said presently, not tearing his eyes away from the youth. The princess turned to give him a questioning glance. Pointing at the young man, he asked, "Who is _that_?"

Leia's face lit up. "Luke!" And before Galen could stop her, she had taken off in the direction of the X-wing, determined to go and greet the boy. Sighing, Galen followed, pushing his way between people in his effort to reach the two. Anyone who saw him moved away to a respectful distance, which made the going a little bit easier, but he still had to inch and shove a good deal. Finally, he caught up to them both.

The duo was in a deep discussion. "We lost Kyle and Webbs," the boy, Luke, was saying, staring down at his hands. Leia put a hand on his shoulder.

"They'll always be remembered, Luke," she told him kindly. "Don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault."

"But it _was_," Luke sighed, pushing her hand away. "I wasn't fast enough. If I'd just reacted sooner…"

"Luke," Leia said sharply. "Listen to me. It _wasn't your fault_."

Instead of replying to that, he glanced around, evidently searching for someone. Galen watched him closely, still struggling to figure out why he was so familiar. He _knew _he'd seen him somewhere before.

"Where's Han?" Luke asked, bringing Galen's mind back into focus.

"He arrived a few minutes after the last transport did," Leia replied. "He's fine."

Galen came in a little closer, giving the boy a good long look. That familiar feeling was _not _going away…

And then his mind flashed back to three years ago, in the _Rogue Shadow. _A vision he'd had. A vision of a boy, clinging to a metal pole suspended over a durasteel chasm like those found inside of a Star Destroyer. Bruised. Sweating. One of his hands severed from his body and none other than _Darth Vader_ cornering him and pointing a lightsaber at his throat.

And there was that same boy standing mere meters in front of him.

He was about to start forward to address the pair, but right then he felt someone slip their hand into his. Concentration broken, he turned to see Juno standing beside him, looking up at him with a concerned expression in her bright blue eyes. She squeezed his hand. "Is everything all right?"

Galen turned to look at the duo again. Neither pilot nor princess had seemed to catch sight of him yet. He swallowed hard, trying in vain to swallow the lump of foreboding that was starting to clog up his throat. A bead of sweat coursed down his face.

"Who is he?" he asked, keeping his eyes fixed on the boy. Juno followed his gaze. Her brows knit together.

"I don't know," she said quietly, glancing briefly at the youth. "He's the leader of the Rogue Squadron. That's all I know." She turned to look once again at the man she loved. Galen was still staring at the boy, traces of shock, foreboding, even _terror _creased across his face. Frowning, she grasped his arm gently. "Galen, what's wrong?"

Galen turned to face her then, brown eyes troubled. He opened his mouth and said quietly, "He's the one from my vision."

Juno's eyes grew huge. "What?" She turned again to look at him. Luke had removed his helmet and was wiping the sweat off of his forehead, grinning teasingly at the young woman in front of him.

Galen's gaze was hard as stone as he stated, "That boy is going to die."

_*I don't know what this is actually called or else I don't remember so yeah…_

**Ugh, I hate that ending…**

**So, how did you like the fighter scene? I'm a little rusty with actions scenes… did I do okay?**

**Review (please)**

**EDIT 2/14/17: Rogue Squadron has been changed to Green Squadron on account of the fact that Rogue Squadron is actually Red Squadron post-Yavin (hence why Red Squadron is now Rogue Squadron). And Gold Squadron became Grey Squadron because I recently completed "Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron" on the DS and I liked it (I didn't love it, there are definitely better games out there, but it was fun) and I wanted to throw in an X2 cameo because Force-Sensitive clone trooper! (even if he's not canon and never was canon I just had to include him because he's adorable). **

**FYI, this story is going to have A LOT of cameos, both canon and non-canon characters, as well as several of my own OCs, and there'll be several repeat cameos. Just to warn you.**


	2. An Awkward Introduction

**A/N v.2/14/17: Fewer changes this time, less noticeable, but still necessary. **

_Chapter 2: An Awkward Introduction_

When Luke awoke the next morning, he forgot where he was.

His eyes snapped open and he sat bolt upright, panting heavily and wildly looking around, trying to make sense of the ice walls surrounding him and the unfamiliar bed beneath his aching back. His heart raced. Had he been captured?!

And then he remembered.

Groaning, the captain fell back onto his pillow with a _thump. _That was right. Hoth. The Yavin soldiers had fled to Hoth.

His whole body hurt. It hadn't occurred to him just how _tense _he had been yesterday until he woke up with his muscles all knotted. As much as he loved flying, he wasn't sure if he was anywhere _near _ready to take to the air again anytime soon. He wasn't even sure if he was ready to move again. Everything had been so crazy… he kind of just wanted to roll over and go back to sleep…

But he had a job to do.

Groaning, Luke pushed himself upright, dutifully ignoring his protesting muscles. Looking around blearily, he saw his uniform already folded up neatly in a pile at the foot of his cot. Around him, most of the other cots in the dormitory were empty, though he did see a handful of soldiers (most of them fellow refugees like himself) still sleeping. Briefly he wondered why no one thought to wake him. Then he thanked the Force that no one _had _thought to wake him – he was tired enough as it was without losing that much extra sleep.

He pulled on his uniform, pleased at the warmth that the thick, soft material provided against the biting chill around him. The suit comprised of a thick white jacket and gray pants, soft brown leather snow boots, and a tan combat vest, completed with a brown military cap and a pair of the largest goggles that he'd ever seen (and he'd seen some pretty big ones – he was a pilot, after all). The new threads helped him feel just a little bit more at home on this icy world. Now, at least, he wouldn't catch pneumonia just by walking down the hall.

Unfortunately, Luke had no idea where he needed to go, since in the craziness and hustle of the previous day he hadn't gotten a chance to really speak with any of the Hoth officers. The only reason he'd found where he was supposed to sleep was because a couple of the soldiers inhabiting the base had grabbed him and dragged him off to his place. Maybe he could've asked _them_, but they'd disappeared, probably already gone out to carry out the day's duties without checking to make sure that the captain knew where he was supposed to go.

Well… he wasn't getting any closer to figuring out just by standing there. Luke clipped his lightsaber and his blaster to his belt (just as a precaution – you never could know what was going to happen) and exited the room.

He got lost within the first five minutes of trying to navigate those halls.

Everywhere looked the same. It was all just one giant mess of ice tunnels that all looked virtually identical to one another and only ran straight for twenty-five meters or so before winding off into some other direction. None of any of it made any sense. There were very few landmarks for him to use to help navigate, and he honestly had no idea where he was even trying to get to in the first place, so…

And why were there no other soldiers walking around? Surely there had to be _someone _nearby that he could ask for directions.

But he didn't see anyone.

Finally, he gave up and slid to the floor, scowling hard at the icy ground beneath his feet. His breath steamed with every exhale, so hot against the cold air that it looked like smoke. Irritation stewing inside of him like a storm, Luke slowly clenched and unclenched his hands, trying his very hardest to calm himself down. _Don't sweat it, just relax, there's bound to be somewhere around here who can help you –_

"You look lost."

Luke jumped and raised his head, coming face-to-face with another man in similar garb to him. The newcomer was tall and solidly built, with a square jaw, thick eyebrows, and serious dark brown eyes. He appeared to be a little older than Luke, possibly by three or four years, and had an air about him that demanded instant respect. The man's posture relayed a confidence to rival Han's and an authority only slightly below Leia's. He stood over Luke with his arms crossed and his eyebrows raised, studying him.

The boy was immediately put on edge.

"Uh… I am," he said cautiously, quickly rising to his feet. He clenched his hands into fists, struggling to suppress the uneasiness that was rapidly growing in the pit of his stomach.

"You're one of the Yavin arrivals, I take it?" the man said calmly, though his tone suggested that he already knew the answer.

Luke nodded. "Yes, err…" he trailed off, unsure what name or title to call him by. The way he carried himself suggested that he was an officer, but Luke couldn't tell what rank he was. His uniform was no different from his own and offered no hints.

"Commander Galen Marek," the man supplied, sticking out his hand. The movement was authoritative, allowing Luke no other action except to accept the handshake. "And you are…?"

"Captain Luke Skywalker," Luke replied, forcing himself to meet the man's calculating eyes. There was something about the way that Marek was looking at him that was making him feel uncomfortable. It was like the commander was looking straight into him, picking through every secret and every fact about him that there ever was. Luke didn't like it.

"Skywalker?" he questioned, raising his eyebrows. Recognition sparked in his eyes.

Luke sighed, bracing himself for the inevitable slough of questions about his involvement in the Battle of Yavin that were about to follow. He was taken off guard, therefore, with the next statement that came out of the officer's mouth.

"Are you related to the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker?"

Luke blinked in surprise. "…yes…" he said carefully. "He was my father." His heartrate quickened. "Did you know him?"

Marek's gaze was emotionless. "No."

Luke nodded dejectedly, briefly permitting his eyes to wander away from the commander's face. _Why even bring it up, then?_

"All newcomers are to report directly to Majors Bonteri, Phalco, or Lawquane for their assignments." Luke met the commander's eyes again. Marek was still studying him, his expression completely unreadable in every way. That uneasy feeling stirred in Luke's gut again.

"Right… so, where are they…?"

Marek pointed down the hall. "Go down this hall, take the third door on the left, then go through that room, exit on the right, and take the lift up two floors. Go straight and you should come to an intersection. Take another left and the communications room should be the second door you come to. Major Lawquane should be in there. She'll be the half-twi'lek with the splotched lekku." He looked Luke right in the eyes. "Think you can remember all of that?"

The captain's head was spinning. _That… is an excellent question…_ "Uh… could you repeat that?"

So Marek told him again, looking slightly miffed that he had to repeat himself. Luke listened closer this time around, determined not to miss a single detail. He wanted to get away from this creepy officer as quickly as possible.

"Alright, I think I've got it," Luke said quickly after Marek finished. The latter crossed his arms over his chest.

"Then get to it."

Luke was all too eager to comply. He turned and walked away as quickly as he dared with the man watching his every move.

He could feel Marek's penetrating gaze boring into his back.

Shuddering, Luke walked faster.

XXX

Galen watched the kid hurry away, his mouth set into a grim line. Nervousness and suspicion flowed freely in the boy's Force signature, raw, strong and unchecked. A captain he may have been, but he had acted just like any other raw recruit that the man had ever met. It was a credit to the boy that he'd been so wary from the start. That alone was even more evident of his strong connection with the Force; almost all other people in the Alliance who had immediately distrusted him had been Force sensitives. He couldn't say he blamed them. He wouldn't have trusted himself either if he was in their shoes. Actually, he was impressed that they were able to sense and identify his darkness from the start.

It was safer that way, after all.

"_Skywalker". Huh._

That might explain why Vader would want someone as young and inexperienced as that boy. Anakin Skywalker was rumored to be the only Jedi that Darth Vader had ever feared. And if Luke was that man's son… well, Galen would have been surprised if Vader _wasn't _interested. What he had seen in his vision seemed more and more likely with every second that he spent thinking about the boy.

The kid was a beacon in the Force, shining bright and strong enough to attract any Sith within a thousand parsecs of them. There was _no _way that Vader would stay away for very long. And that in itself was a frightening thought.

Galen sighed.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" he asked quietly, staring at the spot where Skywalker had disappeared.

There was no response, not that he had expected one. Shaking his head, Galen turned away.

"Whoever you are, kid…" he muttered, "watch yourself."

He had a feeling that this would not be the last time that he would be saying that.

**A shorter chapter, but oh well. I was stuck in a rut. It's still an important one.**

**In case you were wondering, Major Lawquane is Cut's adopted daughter, Shaeeah Lawquane, from **_**Star Wars: The Clone Wars**_**. Jek from chapter 1 was Jek Lawquane. They will not be major characters in this, but c'mon, haven't any of you ever wondered what happened to those guys after Order 66? I can't picture Cut being particularly friendly towards the Empire, considering what he thinks of the Republic.**

**Anyway, I'm sorry for the wait, and this less-than-satisfying chapter, but I think it's better than how Luke and Galen met in the original draft. This feels more realistic to me.**

**If you have time to leave a review, whether it be a praise, a criticism, a suggestion or a request, please leave one.**


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